KristieJun 30

New piece of writing on how British politeness and 'manners' are the last surviving pillars of the Empire.

'Not all legacies of the British Empire are loud. Some are quiet, habitual, and dressed in good intentions. In the UK, tone still trumps truth, and politeness remains more culturally sacred than justice.'

https://kristiedegaris.substack.com/p/please-thank-you-and-other-forms-of-control

#Writing #WritingCommunity #Culture #Scotland

Please, Thank You, and Other Forms of Control

How politeness is the last surviving pillar of the British Empire. Not all legacies of the empire are loud. Some are quiet, habitual, and dressed in good intentions. In Britain, tone still trumps truth, and politeness remains more culturally sacred than justice.

Kristie De Garis
Show threadDavid McMullinJun 30
@kristiedegaris
A similar dynamic exists in the U.S., even though on the surface we aren’t nearly as “polite.”
Show threadDavid McMullinJun 30
@kristiedegaris
One can be nice without being kind, and vice versa; they are not the same thing.
Show threadAdrianna TanJun 30
@mcmullin @kristiedegaris nice and not kind is all of northern and central California :)
Show threadDavid McMullinJun 30
@skinnylatte @kristiedegaris
I wish I remembered who I heard say this first (on social media somewhere), but it was a native Californian who had moved to Boston and was commenting on cultural differences. The example she gave was her neighbor who mocked her mercilessly, swore at her and chewed her out for being so stupid and incompetent for getting her car stuck in a snow bank. But he did it while digging her out.
Show threadDavid McMullin
@skinnylatte @kristiedegaris
At home, she said, no one would ever talk to me this way, but they also wouldn’t make such an effort to help.
Jun 30 at 4:21pmWeb
Show threadDavid McMullinJun 30

@skinnylatte @kristiedegaris
This stuck with me, but I hesitate to read too much into it, because I realize it flatters my northeastern self-image.

(All my life I’ve heard people complain about how rude and horrible people from my part of the U.S. are, and I never really saw it myself. Finally I realized that’s because I must be one of the people they’re complaining about.)